By: Angela Mennecke
The Writing Studies program at College of DuPage recently was awarded the 2022-2023 Certificate of Excellence administered by the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), a constituent organization within the National Council of Teachers of English.
The College was the only two-year college and one of only eight recipients nationwide.
COD English Professor and Writing Studies program Chair Steven Accardi, who accepted the award at the 2023 CCCC Convention held earlier this month, said the recognition highlights the College’s exemplary program.
“This award sets COD apart from other institutions,” he said. “It’s already rare to have a writing studies program at a two-year college, but it’s extremely rare for one to win this national award. Along with our excellent creative writing program, COD has become a true destination for writing.”
The committee noted that it was impressed by the program’s attention to developing achievable outcomes for students, including opportunities for students to work with universities, non-profits and businesses to get their work published as well as the ability for students to interact with professional writers.
“We admired COD’s Writing Studies program for its notable blend of rhetoric, professional writing and writing studies into a clear program for students at the two-year college level,” said this year’s selection committee. “Students can build on the work that they complete at COD in various ways including seamless transfer paths through articulation agreements for students to continue their studies.”
In addition to earning an Associate in Arts degree, COD Writing Studies program students can earn a Professional Writing Certificate, which in 2020 was awarded the Diana Hacker TYCA Outstanding Programs in English Award for Two-Year Colleges and Teachers.
In a constantly changing world of digital communication, the study of writing is needed more than ever, Accardi said.
“Employers are looking for—and hiring—modern writers, those who can make the complex clear, produce and revise texts across screens, and move an audience in a new direction,” he said. “The Writing Studies program prepares you for this career and offers students the chance to assemble a portfolio that can be used on the job market or when students transfer to a four-year institution.”
Danielle O’Brien recently finished her Associate in Arts degree and the Professional Writing certificate at COD. She currently works as the Marketing and Communications Manager at the West Chicago Park District.
“The Writing Studies program at COD is invaluable,” she said. “The program is not just about ‘how to write well,’” she said. “The program teaches you how to think deeper, how to embrace the teachings of rhetoric and how to prepare for the workplace."
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